The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and relevant links.

Chocolate Falls

The photo above was taken March 8, 2008 on the Navajo Reservation near Flagstaff, Arizona and shows Grand Falls, also known as Chocolate Falls or Muddy Falls. To see this splendid waterfall, you have to be willing to drive 10 miles (16 km) down a dusty, washboard road. Much of the year the Little Colorado River and the falls are dry, or at least not worth the drive, but after a storm or following spring snowmelt, the falls can be spectacular. This was the case in early March when the deeper than usual winter snowpack began to melt. The flow then was at about 80% of the maximum capacity. This sediment laden water eventually finds its way into the Colorado River. Note the rainbow fragment nicely accenting the turbid falls.